This Blog is created to stress the importance of Peace as an environmental directive. “I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it’s hell.” – Harry Truman
(I receive no compensation from any entry on this blog.)

Increasing the intensity of extreme events, like hurricanes, extreme precipitation and flooding

Increasing the range of ticks and mosquitoes, which can spread disease such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus

Our most vulnerable citizens, including children, older adults,
people with heart or lung disease and people living in poverty may be
most at risk from the health impacts of climate change.

I don't know why ALEC would be so avoidant of addressing health concerns, there were plenty of organizations about with established research. As a matter of fact in California the American Lung Association has three bills passed to combat greenhouse gases.

AB 1493 – requires car companies to make cleaner cars with extremely low emissions of greenhouse gases for 2009 to 2016 model years.Advanced Clean Cars standards
- adopted in 2012, requires car companies to produce even cleaner
vehicles from 2017 to 2025, including a requirement that approximately
15 percent of vehicles sold in 2025 be powered by zero emission
technologies.

AB 32 –
sets the nation's first cap on greenhouse gas emissions. The law
requires California's emissions to be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020 – a
25 percent reduction. This law also establishes a system to monitor
progress and make sure that the emission reductions are made on
schedule.

A current focus of the American Lung
Association in California's fight against climate change is in
protecting California's clean air leadership that has resulted in key
life-saving pollution reduction programs.

This is probably the only time I ever agreed with ALEC. I don't think a Wall Street game should be made of greenhouse gases. I realize people use them anyway and that is fine. Such initiatives for Global Citizens is a matter of conscience. I understand that.

But, my heart of hearts has told me one thing and one thing only, REGULATE. Simply served straight up regulations. Let there be no doubt or any math that has to determine the EXCHANGE of carbon credits. Easy, without a doubt regulation.

There are about eleven other "Whereas" before these.

...WHEREAS, (click here) state regulations of carbon dioxide emission standards for motor
vehicles is tantamount to a state version of federal fuel economy
mandates that reduces consumer choice by restricting production of larger, heavier vehicles that provide more utility and passenger safety; andWHEREAS,
states can best encourage greater implementation of innovative
technologies through market based consumer incentives and support
public/private partnerships that promote the development of advanced
technologies; and

WHEREAS,

the President’s Global Warming Initiative stresses the importance of
science in guiding policy and actions that are consistent with the need
to maintain healthy economic growth. It also places increased emphasis
on improving the state of climate science, so that policy actions are
consistent with our state of knowledge.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED

that the American Legislative Exchange Council supports the free market
principles contained within the President’s initiative as a cost-
effective and scientifically guided national program to address the
climate change issue.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED

that the American Legislative Exchange Council is opposed to mandatory
or “voluntary” carbon dioxide emission standards and the use of greenhouse transferable credits as a tool for environmental policy or regulation.

Today power plants are allowed to dump unlimited amounts of carbon
pollution into the atmosphere — there are no rules in effect that limit
their emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global warming.

Now, for the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is
developing new rules, or standards, that will reduce carbon emissions
from power plants. These standards, known as the Clean Power Plan (click here), are
being developed under the Clean Air Act, an act of Congress that requires the EPA to take steps to reduce air pollution that harms the public's health.

These historic standards are a centerpiece of the president's Climate Action Plan and represent the most significant opportunity in years to help curb the growing consequences of climate change.

In 2003, I was involved in all sorts of environmental and species activities. I also was a Conservation Chair for a Sierra Club. I served in the State Working Group to write the By Laws and Constitution of the first Conservation Council for North Carolina. I was the person that prepared the final submission that would become the basis of the Conservation Council. It was becoming an autonomous activity of the state organization. It took nearly six months or more to complete all the meetings and come up with the wording for the two documents. We met about every two weeks until it was finished.

That is not even the story I was thinking about.

While I was involved in Sierra Club, "The New Source Review" came up as it does every five years under "The Clean Air Act." It is to report any new sources of emissions pertinent to the law. I took part in that review in 2003. I first prepared a 24 page testimony. Mine are usually long with references that are not on a separate page. So, the references are made directly in the text so there can be no mistakes. Not very long to type (Smith, 2000, pp. 114 - 115). That sort of thing.

Besides the 24 pages of written testimony I traveled to Raleigh and gave 5 minutes of testimony at a time provided to me by appointment. It was recorded by two gentlemen from the EPA to be played and recorded into the final analysis of The New Source Review. I believe the date was May 2nd.

It was about a month or so later, then President George W. Bush walked out to speak to journalists in the Rose Garden. I nearly hit the floor when I realized his EPA had become upset by my words in testimony only a few weeks before. He stated, "There is on such thing as global warming and carbon dioxide could never be a toxic gas."You see, those were my words; "Global warming is real and carbon dioxide at high levels is a toxic gas." My testimony was most probably the first time anyone had enough guts to put CO2 in "The New Source Review." Traditionally, it was about NOX and SOX and ozone, things like that. I just added one more, that's all.See citizen testimony is very important. It carries weight when the Committees get the information that was generated by the EPA when they gather information under laws like The New Source Review. It was not long after that Senator Barbara Boxer started to talk about CO2 and the need for regulations in her committees regarding the environment. The ball was rolling and there was nothing "W" could do about it except Huff and Puff and stomp his feet. So, here we are now with 11 years having passed and the EPA finally has regulations for CO2.Yep.

Just like that without any authority or valid science or respect for the electorate and taxpayers; the state legislatures are suppose to withdraw from a climate initiative years in the making having spent millions.

The organization called ALEC is draconian to good governance and dismantles any decided laws that benefit the citizens of countries. All of a sudden the states in the USA are suppose to simply DROP OUT of decided governance.

ALEC is anti-American.

WHEREAS, (click here) there has
been no credible economic analysis of the costs associated with carbon
reduction mandates and the consequential effect of the increasing costs
of doing business in the State of ______;

WHEREAS, forcing business, industry, and food producers to
reduce carbon emissions through government mandates and cap-and-trade
policies under consideration for the regional climate initiative will
increase the cost of doing business, push companies to do business with
other states or nations, and increase consumer costs for electricity,
fuel, and food;

WHEREAS, the Congressional Budget Office warns that the cost
of cap-and-trade policies will be borne by consumers and will place a
disproportionately high burden on poorer families;

WHEREAS, simply reducing carbon emissions in the State of
______ will not have a significant impact on international carbon
reduction, especially while countries like China, Russia, Mexico, and
India emit an ever-increasing amount of carbon into the atmosphere;

WHEREAS, a tremendous amount of economic growth would be
sacrificed for a reduction in carbon emissions that would have no
appreciable impact on global concentrations of CO2;

WHEREAS, no state or nation has enhanced economic
opportunities for its citizens or increased Gross Domestic Product
through cap and trade or other carbon reduction policies; and

WHEREAS, Europe’s cap and trade system has been undermined by
political favoritism, accounting tricks and has failed to achieve the
carbon reduction targets,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the legislature of the State of ______ urges the Governor to withdraw [state] from the regional climate initiative.

It costs plenty. Most of these government working groups meet more than just once or twice. Their work begins years in advance of the actual final product that will be submitted for legislation and/or regulation.

Summary: A
diverse array of states and provinces launched North America 2050: A
Partnership for Progress (NA2050) in March 2012. NA2050 participants
committed to policies that move their jurisdictions toward a low carbon
economy while creating jobs, enhancing energy security, protecting
public health and the environment, and demonstrating climate leadership.
NA2050 was a multi-state, multi-regional collaborative working toward
mitigating the impacts of climate change and advancing clean energy, carbon capture and sequestration, and industrial energy efficiency benchmarking. C2ES served as one of five nonprofit advisory groups for the NA2050 partnership. As of 2014, NA2050 is no longer active.

History: NA2050
was the successor to the 3-Regions Initiative, which was a
collaboration among members of the three North American regional
cap-and-trade programs: the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord,
the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and the Western Climate
Initiative.NA2050 was composed of six working groups, which
collectively facilitated dialogue among governments, private sector
entities, NGOs, and academic institutions. Each working group provided
topical support to participating jurisdictions based on members’
priorities. C2ES was lead advisor to the Industry 2050 Working Group and
the Sequestration Working Group.

WHEREAS,the REINS Act would require that Congress must pass a
joint resolution of approval to be signed by the President for each new
majorregulation proposed by the executive branch before it may be
enforced against the American people; and

WHEREAS, the REINS Act also retains existing law permitting
Congress to disapprove non-major regulations (5 USC 801-808) to ensure
that Congressional accountability is present for every federal
regulation; andWHEREAS,the REINS Act effectively limits the scope of regulation-making permission granted to the executive branch; and

WHEREAS, the REINS Act’s required accountability will improve
the quality of federal regulations by reintroducing the importance of
input from elected representatives into the regulation-making process;
and...

Shown Here:Introduced in Senate (02/26/2013)

Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2013 (click here) or
the REINS Act - States that the purpose of this Act is to increase
accountability for and transparency in the federal regulatory process. Revises
provisions relating to congressional review of agency rulemaking to
require a federal agency promulgating a rule to include in its report to
Congress and to the Comptroller General (GAO) a classification of the
rule as a major or nonmajor rule.Requires a joint resolution of
approval of major rules to be enacted before such rules may take effect.
Provides that if a joint resolution of approval is not enacted by the
end of 70 session days or legislative days, as applicable, after the
agency proposing the rule submits its report on such rule to Congress,
the major rule shall be deemed not to be approved and shall not take
effect. Permits a major rule to take effect for one 90-calendar day
period without such approval if the President determines it is necessary
because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency,
for the enforcement of criminal laws, for national security, or to
implement an international trade agreement.Sets forth the congressional approval procedure for major rules and the congressional disapproval procedure for nonmajor rules....

The Republicans have an agenda in regard to regulating the Executive Branch. The current attack on The Undocumented is just more of the same. The Executive Branch is responsible for writing regulations from the laws passed by the Congress.

To read through ALEC's plans to defeat and or reverse the EPA's Supreme Court Decision it is completely obvious the ideas are contrived out of 'Playing with Words.' It has no basis in fact. Why does this organization get away with manipulating the laws of the USA?

By Robert BarnesThe Supreme Court on Monday (click here) mostly validated the Environmental
Protection Agency’s plans to regulate major sources of greenhouse-gas
emissions such as power plants and factories but said the agency had
gone too far in interpreting its power.The court’s bifurcated
opinion on one hand criticized the agency for trying to rewrite
provisions of the Clean Air Act. But it nevertheless granted the Obama
administration and environmentalists a big victory by agreeing that
there are other ways for the EPA to reach its goal of regulating the
gases that contribute to global warming.“It bears mention that
EPA is getting almost everything it wanted in this case,” Justice
Antonin Scalia said in announcing his opinion from the bench. “It sought
to regulate sources that it said were responsible for 86 percent of all
the greenhouse gases emitted from stationary sources nationwide. Under
our holdings, EPA will be able to regulate sources responsible for
83 percent of those emissions.”...

Most of the time when I view this water vapor satellite it is air masses moving west to east or vortexes heading the same direction. This looks really strange UNTIL the perspective is as if I were looking straight down on a vortex forming with it's center on the Midwest.

The ICZ is populated with water vapor so there isn't much water vapor populating that vortex. It is somewhat difficult to understand because it is not obvious. I hope I am dead wrong. This is nothing like I've ever seen before.

Pioneer of aerodynamics
(little eiffel, little eiffel)
they thought he was real smart alec
(little eiffel, little eiffel)
he thought big they called it a phallic
(little eiffel, little eiffel)
they didn't know he was panoramic
little eiffel stands in the archway
(little eiffel, little eiffel)
keeping low doesn't make no sense
sometimes people can be oh so dense
they didn't want it but he built it anyway
(little eiffel, little eiffel)
little eiffel stands in the archway
(little eiffel, little eiffel)
keeping low don't make sense
keeping low doesn't make no-sense
(little eiffel, little eiffel)
little eiffel stands in the archway
oh alexander i see you beneath
the archway of aerodynamics.

I just received word that my uncle passed on. This is going to be a rough one for the family. My Uncle Jack was a really nice man. He served in the Korean Conflict. He was the shortest of his sibling brothers and after he returned home he could not find work so he became an amateur boxer. He did okay, too. But, then he met my Aunt Ruth and the rest is history. Eventually he would go to work for Ford Motor Company. He was there for decades until he retired. My grandmother used to tell a story about my Uncle Jack. She prayed the rosary without fail everyday of her life. Jack was in the service. Of all things he was on reconnaissance. My grandmother never knew until she told him the story when he was finally home.

She said one day this feeling came over her and she thought my Uncle Jack had been killed. She said she didn't know why, but, it was a feeling of dread. She sat down and prayed the rosary and a few other prayers to over come the feelings. Later, Jack was home and was living with his parents at first. One morning she was preparing breakfast and she asked him if he ever had close calls while in the service. He stated, yes. He then told about a time when he was in a jeep on reconnaissance when some shelling began. It was enemy fire. The jeep was hit and the other three men with him died. He was taken to a hospital and recovered. It was his injuries that brought him home.My grandmother sat down at the table pale and weak. He said he wanted to know what was wrong. She told him about the terrible dread she felt about a month or so ago. He stated that was about the time of the incident in Korea. My grandmother cried and told him God brought him back to her. She had five sons. Two had served in the military. They both came home from their time in the service. So, in remembrance of my Uncle Jack and his loving Mother, I can say I know where he is long about now and I feel no dread.

I have a few things I want to put out on the net tonight, so I'll be a minute more.

...Palestine’s membership in the International Criminal Court, (click here) formalized
on April 1, 2015, caused consternation in both the United States and
Israel. The ICC has a mandate to prosecute genocide, war crimes, and
crimes against humanity, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
has vocally questioned the ICC’s authority and called on Israel’s allies
to resist cooperating with investigations of Israeli officials should
they be indicted....

It would seem as though once an ethnic minority is classified as a terrorist group there is no way for them to report any human rights abuses, except, for public forums.

Evidently, The Daily Beast believes there will be political solutions and not criminal hearings because of charges and counter charges. It isn't as though Palestine does not have ground to stand on, but, their position with Hamas is expected to dilute any authority to file charges.

...The allegations that Hamas fighters used human shields and fired
unstable rockets at civilian areas, if proven, almost certainly
constitute war crimes. By contrast, allegations against Israel are much
more complex, and largely matters of proportion: for instance, whether
the Israeli military provided sufficient warning before attacking
residential buildings or caused excessive collateral damage pursuing
low-level Hamas fighters...

Quite frankly, the political exchanges between Israel and Palestine is over. That ended when the Palestinian Authority claimed Hamas as a concern and incorporated into their authority. Hamas is not making application to the World Court, so much as Palestine is on the behalf of all the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Israel has shown their unmitigated power structure when Netanyahu simply used the floor of the US Congress for his political ambitions. That was suppose to demonstrate the USA's military power was at Israel's disposal. I don't think so.

The USA doesn't have sovereignty if another country can simply complain about an ethnic group of people and involve the USA in a police action and/or military action. The fact of the matter is the USA has to assess the actions of Israel, otherwise, it may be considered for the World Court along with Israel.

Iran will have internationally legal, peaceful use of nuclear power as a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. I am sure that is rather a concern for Israel, but, international treaties and agreements are suppose to have meaning.

I wish Israel great success in growing better relations with Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza.

Isn't that right Senator Corker. Israel needs to provide for the Palestinian two state solution? Or is Senator Corker more attune to violence and poverty for all people?

It is very troubling to realize other countries align themselves with the USA because there is that belief the USA will engage in illegal and immoral wars. Very troubling.

...I am sure that is true for many in this Chamber. (click here) I know that I certainly do not
hear about filibusters and judges when I go back to Illinois and
hold townhall meetings with people across the State. What I hear
about are veterans who are concerned about their disability payments
and families who are talking about how high gas prices were or how
difficult it is to pay for college. And so I think this argument
we have been having over the last several weeks about judicial nominations
has been an enormous distraction from some of the work that is most
important to the American people....

He has always opposed the dysfunction of the Congress.

...I do not expect
the President to appoint many judges of my liking....

When he made that statement it wasn't based in race. It was based in his Democratic political values.

...This
is a special court. (DC Circuit) It has jurisdiction that other appeals courts
do not have. The judges on this court are entrusted with the power
to make decisions affecting the health of the environment, the amount
of money we allow in politics, the right of workers to bargain for
fair wages and find freedom from discrimination, and the Social
Security that our seniors will receive. It is because of this power
that we deserve to give the American people a qualified judicial
nominee to serve on the DC Circuit....

There is no direct analogy regarding Janice Rogers Brown and Loretta Lynch. The nomination of Ms. Lynch is not a life time appointment. Oddly, even FOX is stating the delay of the vote regarding Ms. Lynch is crazy. No lie.

...The test of whether a judge is qualified
to be a judge is not their intelligence. It is their judgment....

This disqualifying of Ms. Brown is from a lawyer, a Senator at that time (Is there any doubt why Barak Obama is now our President? There should not be.) and African American. It is a significant reality....Unfortunately,
as has been stated repeatedly on this floor, in almost every legal
decision that she has made and every political speech that she has
given, Justice Brown has shown she is not simply a judge with very
strong political views, she is a political activist who happens
to be a judge....

...Justice Brown tends to favor whatever interpretation
leads her to the very same ideological conclusions every single
time....

Some of the objections of Ms. Lynch is not her qualifications but her political leanings. She is a not a judge, she is an attorney being judged. She is allowed to have political leanings and I would expect President Obama to choose an Attorney General that had the same political leanings as him. Ms, Lynch is highly qualified and will be an excellent AG for the remaining time President Obama is in office.

The Senate needs to vote. They need to vote on her qualifications and not her politics.

Former Secretary Paulson is suffering from "China Envy." I suppose so, he has billions if not a trillion or more invested in China.

This is from the "South China Morning Post."

April 19, 2015By Nick Edwards

A new book (click here) from former US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson provides his
take on how the world's two biggest economies can work more effectively
together."We face daunting challenges in today's increasingly complex and
interconnected world," Paulson writes. "Our task will be much more
difficult, if not impossible, to solve if the world's two most important
economic powers work against each other."He's given us 400 pages of views on how to get it right in "Dealing with China".

And those are the folks good ole Hank should be talking to. China has to develop a stable and thriving economy and that doesn't happen when they want to empty the banks in the USA and create monopolies along with it.

Hank spent most of his two years in China while in office. I think it was more than interesting that he went, "Oops." when the wheels fell off the American economy.

There is something he didn't learn and that was the all to familiar integration of economies in the world. When the USA housing market sank in a historic recession, Europe went with us. But, that is where it's at with authors such as Paulson. Having control over every circulating dollar and every asset in the world is a sincere ambition for these bozos.

To those like Hank that want to bring draconian ambitions to the USA I want to know why the stock markets didn't completely crash? Why wasn't it the Great Depression 2.0?

Because countries had RESIDUALS such as the Social Security Fund. There was a continuing economy throughout the range of 'basic needs.' That along with the Recovery Act by the Obama Administration with cuts in SSI taxes, putting more money into the MIDDLE CLASS and spending incentive checks being sent. That is why it wasn't the Great Depression 2.0. I find it odd to think the bankers that were bailed out didn't know that would be the result. I mean none of the Big Bankers jumped out windows, right? That only happened to those that were investors when they lost everything.Oddly, there was no class action suit by families of the big banks that suffered the loss of family due to their crashed home economies.

That is really interesting to me. That is how the country was raped of any and all resources to the poor. They couldn't work anymore, because businesses closed their store fronts, and took up the world's oldest profession to put bread on the table for their children.

Example: Tennessee

2001 there was 1360 arrests.2007 there was 2219 arrests.2010 there were 2387 arrests.

Capitalism is great isn't it. It allows desperate people to engage in their own businesses, including human trafficking. There is every indication Tennessee's capitalism is intact rather than jobs protected by unions.

Isn't that right Senator Corker? I think jobs for women should be a top priority for Senator Corker and not distracting the people into lies about Iran. What do you say? Infrastructure maybe?

There is a reason there is an executive branch to the USA government. It allows Congress to carry out the needs and priorities of the country. Perhaps, tax reform, too, huh?

Better yet, there is an entire class of people called the Undocumented that could be paying their fair share of taxes to the USA Treasury. I mean I would think by now Senator Corker would realize the USA Treasury needs additional income, right?

The Undocumented are already receiving health care, so why not let them provide monies to the USA Treasury?

Right Senator Corker? I just figured being out on cable stations should mean something rather than fumbling with an agenda that is built on lies.

This is what I do with my time. I do this because I ADD VALUE to the intelligence of the American people and anyone else that cares to read this blog.The FBI has more problems than a bus load of pregnant nuns. All due respect to the Pope and his volunteer staff.I need to run my virus scanner because I have a really great virus program and they'll pick up any tell tale effects of the FBI.

44 errors found of low and medium status. Repairs made.

Now, I will close out my computer and run the scan again.

A total of 118756 items scanned with 10 problems detected and repaired. All ten were moderate status except for one.

I just scanned my computer last night. It was ready for the FBI visit. I am a gamer, too. So, this software does a really great job. It isn't a pop up either. I open it when I believe there was a lot of traffic on the computer.

Tell me something, how are the Secret Service doing?

Budget problems at DHS maybe?

Yes? Budget? Tell Corker!

Tell Corker when he is in town and not grandstanding on cable television to drum up fear and 'run game' on the American people. You know, the FBI bothers me less than Corker does. Corker is out there on Sunday Morning wagging his tongue to run a 'CHENEY DIRECTIVE' on the American people.

Senator Corker, the liar of all liars, knows more about Iran than anyone in Iran?Even the negotiators?Amazing.

He stated he knows the IRGC (click here) has it's own nuclear capacity. Wow. Corker needs to agree with President Obama in that this issue about the new Attorney General is embarrassing. He might want to admit there is a lot more he should be embarrassed for.

Basically, Corker plagiarized this website:

He stated, "The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC or Pasdaran)
secures the revolutionary regime and provides training support to
terrorist groups throughout the region and abroad.

So, my point is if Senator Corker has plagiarized a website he doesn't know a damn thing about Iran.

Perhaps Senator Corker can help me with something else. I recently started to classify some rocks I have accumulated over time. The current one on my table right now is light brown and is some kind of sedimentary rock. I was searching for a rock classification site, when a page of naked women came up on my computer. Go figure. It wasn't the fact this site came up on my computer that bothers me, I am over 18 years old. But, what seriously upset me was the fact an FBI screen came up on my computer immediately after the naked pictures. What occurred was a FBI sting operation stating it had just recorded all the information from engaging the naked lady website. There was a place for me to make a statement tp the FBI and I did. Senator Corker needs to stop spying on Americans. I am going to use other resources to classify my rocks from now on. JERKS. The USA is full of governmental jerks.

I tell you what Senator Corker, why not spy on the IRGC so there isn't plagiarism in the airwaves of the USA. You want to try that instead? I think it is a great idea.

If I have problems because the FBI doesn't have enough to do, I'm going to sue Senator Corker for not protecting my computer from GOVERNMENT SPYING.

I have recorded the day and time that incident occurred by this entry.

The areas where Daesh exists has been devastated by bombing runs. That is not minor damage in the picture below. It is easy to say they have been significantly degraded.

Daesh may still have large numbers of people that joined them since September, but, that doesn't mean they are stronger. We know they are using child soldiers. I would not call that an increase in military strength.

If Daesh has increased it's recruitment since September that doesn't mean anything except people are fighting for their lives within the Daesh territory. The pictures of Daesh troops show less than ten at a time walking to their assignments. That could mean something or not. That is the place of General Dempsey to answer.

The pictures with this article from The Independent shows complete devastation. The ability of Daesh to mount a significant attack is very limited. The USA and the Arab Coalition took away the most potentially dangerous military equipment Daesh had. So, they are most likely limited to small arms flowing in with volunteers most probably.

If there are two hundred thousand fighters, the reason the USA and Iraq are making advances is because the Iraqi fighters (I mean that in a generic sense, including the Kurds and Shia.) are better armed with air support.

November 16, 2015By Patrick Cockburn

...Fuad Hussein, (click here) the chief of staff of the Kurdish President Massoud Barzani said in an exclusive interview with The Independent on Sunday
that "I am talking about hundreds of thousands of fighters because they
are able to mobilise Arab young men in the territory they have taken."He
estimates that Isis rules a third of Iraq and a third of Syria with a
population of between 10 and 12 million living in an area of 250,000
square kilometres, the same size as Great Britain. This gives the
jihadis a large pool of potential recruits....

This pictures to the right shows Turkish units. If I am not mistaken it is only recently that Turkey began the offensive at the border; so the results still are unclear. But, the capacity of these units is significant.

During the Iraq War it was estimated by a few organizations seeking to understand the potential for civilian death to be at a ratio of 200 to one USA soldier. In other words, the American soldier in combat in Iraq had the equivalent power to kill 200 people for each soldier. Some of the estimates were in the hundreds of thousands, as much as 800,000 by one organization.

An estimate in The Independent state there are as many as 12 million people within Daesh's territory the size of Great Britain. No matter how I try to word these next statements, it won't sound good so why not just put it out there.

The Independent states the Daesh territory is approximately 250,000 square kilometers of which about 12 million are living there. That breaks down to about 48 people per square kilomter.

Syria is 186,475 square kilometers with a population in 2013 of about 22.85 million which leaves a little under 123 people per square kilometer.

There is far less people, about one third, living on that land under Daesh than before if The Independent is correct. That reality is most probably correct because the refugee status is ever increasing. Basically, where do you find the land to put an entire country into refugee camps?

During a recent meeting with
representatives of the industrial and commercial sectors, as well as
Jordanian, Arab and foreign investors in Irbid Governorate, the prince
said, “It is time to rethink the form of relationship between Jordanians
and the refugees in the country in light of the inadequate
international support to refugee-burdened Jordan.” Prince Hassan said
this relationship should rest on the concepts of productivity and
complementary partnerships in the fields of training, rehabilitation and
expertise exchange.

He added that among every five
Jordanians there is a Syrian and that the value of the international
assistance to Jordan does not exceed 20 per cent of the actual cost of
the refugee crisis....

and there is this report:

April 18, 2015

BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces (click here) retook most of the country's
largest refinery from Daesh on Saturday, officials said, reversing gains
by the militants who seized parts of the sprawling complex in northern
Iraq last week.

A spokesman for the US-led coalition
fighting Daesh said troops had recaptured all of Baiji refinery at 11:30
GMT, but officials in Salahuddin, the province where it is located,
said there was still fighting around some facilities.

The insurgents attacked the refinery a
week ago by blasting through the security perimeter around it and taking
over several installations, including storage tanks, a technical
institute and a distribution point.

The Baiji refinery produced around
175,000 barrels per day before it shut in June when Daesh militants
seized it at the same time as the city of Mosul. Iraqi forces retook it
from militants in November but subsequently lost control again.

A source in the military command for
Salahuddin province said clashes continued on Saturday, with insurgents
fighting the army's elite Golden Division and paramilitaries in southern
and western parts of the refinery complex....

Now, I realize there is a portion of Iraq still under the influence of Daesh which would produce the additional land mass considered to be captured by Daesh. But, to state the people living on that land is greater than before the conflict started is really incorrect. Now the reason I state that is because estimates are so high regarding the potential number of troops recruited from within the land/cities Daesh is holding.

It is just that 200 thousand out of 12 million is a very small percentage of recruits. It amounts to about less than two percent of the people that might have been trapped with the fighting continuing. If there were people pressed into serving the Daesh military it may illustrate their desperate status.

General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
arrived in Baghdad on Friday in a surprise visit. He said he wanted "to
get a sense from our side about how our contribution is going". Earlier
in the week, he told Congress that to defeat Isis an efficient army of
80,000 men would be necessary.

There were also reports on MSNBC 1000 recruits per month were entering Syria to join Daesh. Did that include women, too?

I haven't heard any type of official word from any of the militaries involved in this strategy, except General Dempsie quoted by The Independent.

The people within Daesh's territory are probably moving further and further from the bombings. That is my guess and might explain SOME of the widening involvement of land. But, is the fighting force expanding in number and tenacity? Sure to some extent. Will it continue to? Uncertain, but, countries are attempting to end the emigration into Syria, too.Does the USA have to get involved? That is like opening Pandora's box. If the USA goes into Iraq and ultimately Syria, that will only increase the number of recruits coming into the area. That is proven, that isn't even a theory anymore. The Kurds are holding their own. Turkey is just getting involved, the other countries in the region and in the coalition are not reporting border problems. The Shi'ites of southern Iraq are doing okay and they already have support from Iran. The only countries I am worried about at this point is Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It is experiencing a few skirmishes at the border with Lebanon. Those skirmishes don't seem to worry the Kingdom that much. They have lost a few men, but, at the same time the Saudi are sending humanitarian aid into Yemen to reduce any hardship by the people. What I worry about with Saudi Arabia is the inability of the Anbar Sunnis to protect and limit any movement of Daesh to the Saudi border with Iraq.

Egypt is experiencing an uptick in violence. That tupically is not new. It is the same groups from the past, including the Muslim Brotherhood. The current President SiSi is worried about Egypt slipping back into chaos and anarchy. He has a current hand on stability for now, especially northern Sinai. But, he openly states he is worried if any economic insult comes to Egypt it will disturb things enough to send Egypt back into chaos.

One of the reasons General Dempsey made a trip to Iraq is because President Obama is meeting with the coalition again in May.

I know everyone believes the USA can lend a great deal of help to end the fighting with Daesh and stabilize the region. I am not so sure. Look, there are still blast walls around Baghdad. The USA wasn't 'all that.' Sure they are helpful, but, they aren't successful necessarily.

My concern is more or less the divided people of the Middle East. They are more and more dividing into sectarian groups. That creates it's own problems. Libya is a prime example.

The tribes of Libya have to define a governing body to stop the marauding and sectarian split. There is definitely an east and west Libya now. Without the oppression of the dictators, the people are deliberately acting to remove any central authority of their country as is the case in Libya. Libya has an occasion been governed by a central authority. Then after a time there are raids into government buildings where the parliament is meeting and the killing starts again.And the thing is that all of North Africa is not necessarily in chaos. Tunisia and Algeria are not having governance problems. But, they are very strict to border crossings.

Tunisian Authorities have banned more than 12,000 Tunisians from
travelling to tension spots in Iraq, Libya and Syria in the last two
years.

April 18, 2015In parliament, (click here) Tunisian interior minister Najem Gharsalli said that
his ministry is still exerting efforts to dismantle the "sleeping nets
of terrorists" which facilitates and liaises the travel of Tunisians
to"tension spots like Syria and Iraq."Gharsalli said that his ministry prevented "12,490 Tunisians from
leaving Tunisian territory to travel to tension zones" in Iraq, Libya
and Syria since March 2013.As part of his ministry's efforts to restrict travelling to these
three countries, he said that new intelligence equipment estimated to
cost $27m is to be installed.Regarding fears of human rights bodies that autocracy could return
back to the country after the ratification of anti-terror bill,
Gharsalli reinstated that "unlike the 2003 bill, this bill includes
positive factors."...

The Tunisian government recognizes the unhappiness in the country under previous rulers. They are looking at the people differently and doing their level best to serve them without indulgences that would compromise their security.

Then there is Algeria who is acting as negotiator between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Algeria over the last two weeks has relayed a number of messages
between Saudi Arabia and Iran in hopes of averting regional war in Yemen.

April 17, 2015

Messages between the two sides, I(click here) he said, had contained both assurances and warnings, he told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.The source said one such message had contained assurances between the
two countries that the Saudi navy would not fire on Iranian cargo ships
traversing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.Another message contained assurances by the two countries that their
respective navies would not clash in the same body of water, the source
said.He added that Saudi and Iranian officials were communicating via
Algiers with a view to averting further military escalation in Yemen."Algeria believes mechanisms must be put in place to prevent the
conflict from evolving into a regional war before a peaceful settlement
can be found," the source said....

So, regardless of the nervousness of The West in regard to problems in the Middle East and Daesh appearing to be recruiting from within lands they occupy, does the USA have a vital role in the region? I think that is very skeptical and would cause more problems than it solves.

If the USA returns to the Middle East there is a chance it all could explode considering all the tensions in the region, perhaps best illustrated by Egypt.

And if the USA commits to the Middle East, what occurs to Europe and NATO? I think the USA has to be cautious in committing anywhere. The world is delicately balanced right now and I think the USA needs to consider a bigger picture to any involvement of war.

The one definite factor the USA can count on, is it's seismic presence and the reaction that will bring many groups in the region. The USA doesn't need to increase the military energy in the region and expect to achieve peace. The bombing of the USA embassy was a car bomb not an invading army.

The USA was in Iraq when the terrible bomb went off at the UN Embassy killing the UN Ambassador. Just because people think the USA will stabilize everything over night, that is a delusion.